14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft promoted Skype for Linux from the alpha channel to beta in early March, and now the company is releasing the first beta update with a few improvements, but also with a warning that older versions would be discontinued soon.
Skype 5.1 for Linux Beta updates the Electron engine to version 1.5.2, and features improved installer scripts which, according to Microsoft, should register the Skype update repository automatically. This means that Microsoft is trying to make shipping Skype updates easier to Linux clients and further improvements are expected in the coming releases.
And last but not least, Microsoft says that there are many smaller improvements and bug fixes, but there’s a good chance that you won’t notice them, as they’re all being implemented under the hood of the app and aren’t necessarily visible in the UI.
As far as users of the alpha version are concerned, updating to the beta is becoming a must, as Microsoft says that older clients would soon be discontinued and would stop working.
“We wish you to have the best experience with Skype, so old versions of Skype for Linux Alpha are being decommissioned and you may need to update to the latest version,” the firm says.
Linux client still far behind Windows sibling
Although work on the Linux version of Skype advances, this particular client is far from reaching parity with Windows and Mac siblings, which are far better in terms of functionality and offering so much more to their users.
Microsoft, however, says it’s aiming to bring Skype for Linux in sync with the other clients, though judging from today’s changelog, it looks like the development team could do better after working for about a month on a single update.
“Since the launch of Skype for Linux Alpha a few months ago, we have been focused on building a new experience that is in line with Skype’s ongoing transition from peer-to-peer to a modern cloud architecture. We want to create a Linux version of Skype that is as feature rich as the existing Skype on desktop and mobile platforms,” Microsoft says.
You can download the latest version of Skype for Linux using this link, but keep in mind it’s a beta for now and other bugs are still likely.